The I cant believe it’s not politics thread.

[Claridge]

38 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

No mention of fat cat CEO's and shareholders

Fat cat union bosses and fat cat CEO's. Between them they provide a poor service, both to blame

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, Claridge said:

Fat cat union bosses and fat cat CEO's. Between them they provide a poor service, both to blame

Yet the government only blames the union

[Foxdiamond]

18 minutes ago, kenny said:

With bad traffic you still get there with bad rail you get the middle finger followed by panic calls trying to get picked up.

 

I tend to use the day time off peak service to London, other than the horrific cost it's a lovely service at present. It's like having your own limo.

With bad traffic a lot of air pollution compared to trains

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Bad traffic - I still miss the meeting which directly affects a client relationship for work. If I’m over thirty minutes late, I might as well not be there, damage is done. 
 

On the railway, even if it’s cancelled, I can still dial in and make contact. Or be back at the office and have enough notice to rearrange the meeting. I simply can’t do that whilst stuck on the M6. 

Doesn't matter either way. With the car you have the opportunity to change your plans. Bit tough while stuck on a platform. Also cars are often cheaper to run.

 

All a shame really, I had become a massive convert to public transport and was using my car less and less.

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Foxdiamond said:

With bad traffic a lot of air pollution compared to trains

Agreed. A real shame about the railway and it's most likely to be replaced by self driving electric cars i reckon.

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, kenny said:

Agreed. A real shame about the railway and it's most likely to be replaced by self driving electric cars i reckon.

Gridlocked roads though

[kenny]

5 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Gridlocked roads though

It will be less of an issue once the cars drive themselves 50mm from the car in front at 100mph.

 

Public transport has its chance at the moment and it's a chance that it will probably see slip away.

[Foxdiamond]

17 minutes ago, kenny said:

It will be less of an issue once the cars drive themselves 50mm from the car in front at 100mph.

 

Public transport has its chance at the moment and it's a chance that it will probably see slip away.

That is why railways are still so important. 

[CosbehFox]

12 minutes ago, kenny said:

Doesn't matter either way. With the car you have the opportunity to change your plans. Bit tough while stuck on a platform. Also cars are often cheaper to run.

 

All a shame really, I had become a massive convert to public transport and was using my car less and less.

I don’t really get what you are saying. If you are in car and there’s a traffic jam on a motorway, you are either completely stuck or adding a diversion but it’s unproductive time bar the odd phone call, as you are at the wheel. 
 

There’s no such thing as ‘stuck on a platform. You simply get off the platform, if there’s barriers explain to the train staff and jump in a number of cafes nearby or in a big city, visit a plug in/play office spaces such as ‘we work’.

If we are talking about getting home (I have never ever been marooned in a city getting a train back), you can fully claim compensation if no train runs that evening but generally speaking they get run them running at some time that day (mainly because the freight services that simply need to operate overnight) 
 

Now even if we are talking a commute, outside of working hours, inner city routes upon trains cancelling default to bus services. The car parking is sky high alongside a congestion charge. I can take the twenty-five train ride or a fifty minute journey into a city when both operate fine, so I take the train. When the train goes haywire, I have to drive but then that directly impacts on the traffic. So the morale of the story is invest on the public transport options and the impact is gross far better
 

Ironically the worst experience I’ve had for travelling for work was by plane this year. Which speaks volumes that the most profit driven method was the worse 

[kenny]

19 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

I don’t really get what you are saying. If you are in car and there’s a traffic jam on a motorway, you are either completely stuck or adding a diversion but it’s unproductive time bar the odd phone call, as you are at the wheel. 
 

There’s no such thing as ‘stuck on a platform. You simply get off the platform, if there’s barriers explain to the train staff and jump in a number of cafes nearby or in a big city, visit a plug in/play office spaces such as ‘we work’.

If we are talking about getting home (I have never ever been marooned in a city getting a train back), you can fully claim compensation if no train runs that evening but generally speaking they get run them running at some time that day (mainly because the freight services that simply need to operate overnight) 
 

Now even if we are talking a commute, outside of working hours, inner city routes upon trains cancelling default to bus services. The car parking is sky high alongside a congestion charge. I can take the twenty-five train ride or a fifty minute journey into a city when both operate fine, so I take the train. When the train goes haywire, I have to drive but then that directly impacts on the traffic. So the morale of the story is invest on the public transport options and the impact is gross far better
 

Ironically the worst experience I’ve had for travelling for work was by plane this year. Which speaks volumes that the most profit driven method was the worse 

When I drive Google typically redirects me around the worst traffic so it's been a while since I got stuck. Not to mention post COVID traffic is still much better than it used to be.

 

My worst experience is being on the last train and being ushered off at MK as the next driver didn't show up. The Mrs had to come and collect me. That and the trains being cancelled out of London or Birmingham so you end up with 3 trains of people crammed into one.

 

I'd rather use public transport given the choice, it's just that it often isn't really a choice.

 

We had a visit to organise the other day  for a chap in Norwich to Cornwall. Turned out the quickest and cheapest was 3 flights as opposed to driving or the train.

 

Anyway, back on topic. Give them 25% and put up the train fairs to pay for it.

[kenny]

25 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

That is why railways are still so important. 

I love a nostalgic trip on the gcr as much as anyone. I suspect that's where the national rail will be headed.

[Foxdiamond]

1 hour ago, kenny said:

I love a nostalgic trip on the gcr as much as anyone. I suspect that's where the national rail will be headed.

Not much money for the shareholders there 

[Foxdiamond]

1 hour ago, kenny said:

When I drive Google typically redirects me around the worst traffic so it's been a while since I got stuck. Not to mention post COVID traffic is still much better than it used to be.

 

My worst experience is being on the last train and being ushered off at MK as the next driver didn't show up. The Mrs had to come and collect me. That and the trains being cancelled out of London or Birmingham so you end up with 3 trains of people crammed into one.

 

I'd rather use public transport given the choice, it's just that it often isn't really a choice.

 

We had a visit to organise the other day  for a chap in Norwich to Cornwall. Turned out the quickest and cheapest was 3 flights as opposed to driving or the train.

 

Anyway, back on topic. Give them 25% and put up the train fairs to pay for it.

Yet the employers want to cut staff. You obviously don't care much for what you don't need much personally. A very Tory attitude 

[kenny]

3 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Yet the employers want to cut staff. You obviously don't care much for what you don't need much personally. A very Tory attitude 

I use public transport whenever I can and it's convenient.

 

Ive already said give them 25% and given a way it can be paid for.

 

I assume you would usually vote labour? I don't know for certain, but i guessed on the basis you want to give money away without considering where it may come from.

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, kenny said:

I use public transport whenever I can and it's convenient.

 

Ive already said give them 25% and given a way it can be paid for.

 

I assume you would usually vote labour? I don't know for certain, but i guessed on the basis you want to give money away without considering where it may come from.

I guess you vote Tory because you don't mind pricing people off the railway. At the moment we have some of the most expensive fares and the money is going into a few pockets. Maybe if the fares were lower more people would use the trains even if it meant you did not have the luxury of feeling you were in your own limo. 

[kenny]

3 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

I guess you vote Tory because you don't mind pricing people off the railway. At the moment we have some of the most expensive fares and the money is going into a few pockets. Maybe if the fares were lower more people would use the trains even if it meant you did not have the luxury of feeling you were in your own limo. 

They are already priced out. And put off by the unreliability.

 

Once something is too expensive, too expensive plus 25% is still too expensive.

 

You didn't ask but I'll answer anyway. I would fully automate the railway and hugely scale back on staff. The ones needed to remain would be be paid much more but the overall system would be cheaper and more efficient. The current model is hugely out of date and out of touch.

[Foxdiamond]

9 minutes ago, kenny said:

They are already priced out. And put off by the unreliability.

 

Once something is too expensive, too expensive plus 25% is still too expensive.

 

You didn't ask but I'll answer anyway. I would fully automate the railway and hugely scale back on staff. The ones needed to remain would be be paid much more but the overall system would be cheaper and more efficient. The current model is hugely out of date and out of touch.

Do you remember when station staff was cut at stations. The stations became desolate lonely places where many particularly women travelling alone were too scared to use them after peak times. I saw a programme where there was a problem with unruly kids on the trains after school. A police officer had to travel on the train because there was no staff on the platform or on the train.

[Bryn]

 imagine criticising the magic money tree and being a Tory voter.

[kenny]

15 minutes ago, Bryn said:

 imagine criticising the magic money tree and being a Tory voter.

I'm not criticising it. It's great!

[kenny]

24 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Do you remember when station staff was cut at stations. The stations became desolate lonely places where many particularly women travelling alone were too scared to use them after peak times. I saw a programme where there was a problem with unruly kids on the trains after school. A police officer had to travel on the train because there was no staff on the platform or on the train.

Good point. Let's give up on progress.

 

Twice in one night. I'll be voting labour at this rate.

[Lionator]

Interesting that Sunak proposing a further package to support people this winter is being criticised in Tory circles yet they love Truss’s “we can talk ourselves out of recession” vibes. She’s an idiot as is the base. 

[Fazzer 7]

Looking at how, according to a piece in the Telegraph, the Democrats are running  California into the ground, both economically and socially. How do Bidens Democrats compare with Starmers Labour. Are the Democrats more left wing than the current Labour Party. 

[Lionator]

24 minutes ago, Fazzer 7 said:

Looking at how, according to a piece in the Telegraph, the Democrats are running  California into the ground, both economically and socially. How do Bidens Democrats compare with Starmers Labour. Are the Democrats more left wing than the current Labour Party. 

You can't really compare, the 'centre ground' in the US is far to the right of the most Conservative politician's in the UK. Biden is more right wing than Johnson for example. 

[leicsmac]

22 minutes ago, Fazzer 7 said:

Looking at how, according to a piece in the Telegraph, the Democrats are running  California into the ground, both economically and socially. How do Bidens Democrats compare with Starmers Labour. Are the Democrats more left wing than the current Labour Party. 

And yet, due to them not ignoring and/or overlooking a threat that will at best result in a hundred million people dead, destitute and displaced and at worst the collapse of human civilisation itself, the Dems are still quantitatively a better option than the Repubs. How about that?

 

People can pick whatever holes they like but in terms of scale, it will always come back to that being the biggest issue.

 

At least in the UK the Tories actually have the wherewithal to accept the scale of the problem and are developing plans to deal with it.

[Fazzer 7]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

You can't really compare, the 'centre ground' in the US is far to the right of the most Conservative politician's in the UK. Biden is more right wing than Johnson for example. 

Really, I find this surprising. I’ve always felt Biden and the Dems would lie somewhere between Starmer and Corbyn. But I really don’t know, which was why I sought opinion.